This Ace Almost Lost The Game of Life!

What happens to a horse to look like this? 

Did someone forget to feed him? Did he refuse to eat? 

Did he want to die? 

Ace on arrival at SaveTheHorses.org/ His back legs were covered with dried manure.

I don't have the answer. I know the story the owner told but what was the truth, I have no answer. What mattered was he get to the rescue farm, and we start him on a good refeeding program. He is a big boy but was a skeleton covered with dirty, smelly white skin and his manure was all caked down his back legs. He was so thin, the manure didn't fall away from his body like a normal horse, it fell out and stuck to his legs. When he came off the trailer, we decided to give him a bath right away. We usually wait but he legs were getting scalded from the crud stuck to him for so long.

He is getting cooled off daily now to keep his temp down and appetite up. 

Ace is slowly gaining weight. His appetite is better when he is cool. Early mornings he really eats well. By hotter afternoons, he eats and leaves some food. He seemed to have a virus too. That ran it's course but yesterday he had a  mucus running out of his nose. Today he seems normal. We have never seen him sweat. Vegetarian animals need to sweat to cool off. Ace had a condition called Anhydrosis. He is on a medication for it but beer, yes beer, may help him as well. He is one of the sweetest horses we have ever had. Making him healthy and happy is our goal for Ace. This Ace almost lost the game of life. He couldn't have survived must longer in his condition. We really do not have extra room to keep him here but another Georgia Rescue does. 

He is going to Sunkissed Acres Rescue to retire soon but we wanted to make sure he was healthy enough to travel. He fell in the trailer on the way here so he needs to be balanced and strong enough to make the trip to Summerville, GA. 

Thank you for caring.
We need your compassion and support to continue to help horses like Ace who through no fault of their own end up starving or dead because no one was there to help. 

Donate Now     www.SaveTheHorses.org

Wild Horse, Wild Heart!

Animal Control picks up more than stray dogs and cats. Hall County AC in Gainesville, GA had a horse that they picked up that they considered dangerous. They planned on euthanzing her. She could not just go to someone who had little horse experience, for sure. I understand their dilemma. It seemed the only alternative. This mare was a Mustang. She was wild. She was captured by our government agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) who is supposed to be taking care of public lands. She had freedom since birth and lived in a herd as wild horses do. It is a symbol of the Wild West. 

A lone mustang who escaped the helicopters watches a Bureau of Land Management roundup in the Stone Cabin Valley in Nevada during the winter of 2012. (Dave Philipps)

http://www.propublica.org/article/missing-what-happened-to-wild-horses-tom-davis-bought-from-the-govt

How does a Mustang from the freedom of the Western United 
States end up Georgia Animal Control?

They get rounded up with helicopters and forced into small holding pens. They are not seeing humans as friends at all. 

Watch the video and see for yourself. You tax dollars at work.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jPs3qg7CpMs

I can only imagine the journey of Ellie Mae. She is a 1996 Mustang captured in Nevada, sold by the BLM and on a long road to dead ends until SaveTheHorses.org stepped in. 

Ellie Mae's brand shows her information  from BLM

When I first met Ellie Mae, she was in a stall at Chickopee Woods, a holding place for horses picked up by animal control. The officer explained why they considered euthanizing her. They had to get her off the road and wild horses are not cooperative like a domestic horse. You can't walk up to her, offer her a carrot and she come willingly. I am sure it was a 'rodeo' of sorts. I can see the danger of that capture, adrenalin rushing the horse and humans alike. Ellie Mae saw the capture again and resisted like her life depended on it.

 As we approached the stall, Ellie Mae became wide eyed and immediately stepped to the back of the stall to get away from her enemy, the human. To me it wasn't dangerous gesture, just a fear movement. That was October 2010.  We agreed to take her and keep her safe. We spent many hours patiently working with her. We were able to touch her but her heart was wild. She only wanted freedom. Why should we take that away from her? Why should we enslave this wild heart? 

If we had a sanctuary, we would keep her til death do us part, but keep her takes up room for another needy horse. For nearly 3 years, as she stayed safe with us, we tried to find a place out West to release her. Many calls and leads led nowhere. Then space in a  Sanctuary for wild animals became available. We already knew the great work they do. We visited our two adopted miniature horses they adopted for their petting zoo. It is called Tigers For Tomorrow. 

Sounds like a scary place to take a horse? Rest assured, they do not feed the horses to the tigers. It was my thought, too so we personally checked it out first! They care for every animal on the sanctuary with love. They had a pasture they were fencing and what better way to educate the public than with Wild Horses!

Ellie Mae and Ella enjoying their new home. 

The pasture at Tigers for Tomorrow was finally fenced. We recently took in another Mustang, Ella, from Trinity Equine Rescue. Ella is a little more domesticated then Ellie Mae. I put a halter on Ella and loaded her on the trailer. We coaxed Ellie Mae on the trailer by walking behind her and leaving her a way to get away from humans...that was the trailer. When she hopped on and I closed the door, a lump filled my throat and tears swelled in my eyes. I was so happy for her but so sad for me and for all the volunteers who knew and loved Ellie Mae. It is best for this wild hearted mare, she has freedom. It isn't the thousands of acres she once knew long ago but it is freedom. 

You are all welcome to visit our Mustangs and all the other wild animals at Tigers For Tomorrow located in Alabama. Meet the tigers, lions, bears and wolves who were bought as pets or had horrible lives in backyard zoos. 

Sue Steffens having a conversation with one of her beloved bears. 

Every animal in rescue has a story. Some are very brutal. Ellie Mae now has a good story. The past fear is in her heart but the past cruelty is gone forever. 

Thank you all for your compassion and continued support! 

At the top of our wish list is a 100 acre plus sanctuary so abused horses can live their lives in peace. Until then, we continue to help all the horses we can in every way we can. You are the biggest part of our wish list. You keep us going every day.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who is a Mother loves and cares for 2 legged and 4 legged 'children'. 

SaveTheHorses.org is celebrating you on Mothers Day.

Come to the Rescue Farm and groom a horse, love on a horse and enjoy YOUR day.

Sandy Grooming Lady Jane

The Farm is Opened for you from 1-4 PM.

1768 Newt Green Road

Cumming, GA 30028

770 886 5419

Relax, get away from the crowd and spend some time in the country, Enjoy and learn about SaveTheHorses mission.

Bugsy Was Having a Foal! Not What We Bargained For!

 When you take in a horse from Animal Control, you most likely are not going to get much history. Bugsy was a chestnut mare that needed some weight...that's what we thought. Tracy offered to foster because she had some good grass pastures. That was easy. The plan was Bugsy would gain weight and find a new home and live happily ever after. Tracy was suspicious from the beginning that Bugsy was pregnant but after the vet checked her and said no, she was confident she wasn't. Life went on for Bugsy.

Bugsy was uncomfortable during the last of her pregnancy.

Tracy watched Bugsy gain weight at a rapid speed. After another vet check a few months later, it was confirmed Tracy was right, Bugsy was in foal. Once you know a horse is in foal, you look at her everyday, wondering if today may be the day. Bugsy seemed to be uncomfortable every day. Tracy gave her hugs and kisses but it couldn't take away the uneasy feeling something was wrong. The more miserable Bugsy was, the more Tracy was concerned. It became daily posts about Bugsy until the day came Bugsy was really in labor. Tracy, her daughter, Maddie and Jackie, who are all horse savvy were there to help. It wasn't going well. Bugsy was having a hard time, she was in obvious distress. Humans hands were there to tenderly help the foal be delivered. Another panic moment when the umbilical cord broke and the newborn foal was hemorrhaging. Humans hands again there to help. Many horses are left alone to have their babies but Tracy had the instinct to keep a close watch on this one, thankfully so. 

Baby Buggs was struggling to survive.

Bugsy was also bleeding. It was hard to tell if it was just from the birth or was she hemorrhaging as well. She surely was not a normal mare because she was not acknowledging her newborn as her instincts would call her to do. As she stood a few feet from her foal, her eyes were glazed. Her body trembling and her heart rate and respiration rising along with her temperature. The vet was on her way but it would be a while before she arrived. She told us what medication to give her to help make Bugsy comfortable but it didn't ease any pain for sweet Bugsy. Our hearts were aching for her. To stand their helplessly and watch was painful. All we could do it try and be gentle, stroke her and reassure her it would be better soon. 

Bugsy gently whinnied and looked toward her baby for one tender moment.

Bugsy  quietly looked down at her new baby and gave her a quiet tender whinny but she didn't have the strength to do more than that. Not knowing if Bugsy would survive, Tracy started milking Bugsy to get the needed colostrum Baby Buggs would need to survive. A baby bottle was given to the baby and momma was milked again. 
Bugsy was suffering. The closest large animal hospital was 3 hours away and there is no way Bugsy would survive the trip. One the vet arrived, she knew the only way to relieve her suffering was to let her go peacefully. Now Baby Buggs was an orphan and her survival was up to us. Colostrum is so important the first 12 hours after birth, we had to put out a call for colostrum, fresh or frozen, because we felt that we didn't get enough into the foal even though Bugsy gave us 30 ounces, it was not enough. 

Horse lovers sent out the word and we were able to find 80 ounces of frozen colostrum near by. Tracy set up a mattress in the stall and Maddie cuddled up with Baby Buggs to keep her warm and give her a bottle every hour. To raise an orphan, you need to be dedicated. Sleepless nights!

Baby Buggs sleeping in bed with Maddie.

The next morning Baby Buggs' bloodwork was good, one less worry but we had to organize to get 24 hour humans to take the place of the mare. Baby Buggs was transported to the SaveTheHorses farm. Everyone volunteered to spend time with this little cutie. 

A nice warn blanket kept her warm during the cold nights.

She enjoys all the attention and her bottle.

She was happy to get all the attention she was being showered with. Everyone couldn't get enough of her cuteness. She is thriving on human love and good caregiving.

Lots of kisses for humans like Jeff who spent the night with Baby Buggs

Our biggest problem was she thinks she is a human. She had no interest in horses. Why should she, they did nothing for her. It was those humans who gave her milk, gave her attention and loved on her. We hoped teaching her to lead may help her be a little horse. 

Natalie taught her to walk like a horse.

 Baby Buggs is a quick learner. It took Natalie only a short time to teach her how to lead with a halter on. She became a pro at it quickly. Now we can lead her but we still needed to convince her she was a horse. We put horses around her, walked them by her. There were horses in every direction but still she was a 'people' in her eyes. 

She is doing great and thriving. Watch for an update soon. 

Thank you all for your caring and your compassion. It is our supporters and volunteers who make this happen every day at SaveTheHorses.org rescue farm. 

Lady Jane

She seemed like nothing was wrong but why was she lying down more often. A big Percheron mare that weighs about 1600 pounds can move gates and fences out of her way if she chose to but she is a gentle giant for sure. 

Lady Jane limping around outside.

She started to limp a few days after her hooves was trimmed. Maybe she was a little tender footed. It worsened and the farrier checked and thought it was an abscess. We soaked her lame foot in Epsom salts and water and it seemed to help but just a little. It was better for a week but then we could see she was in obvious pain. That is the last thing we want, pain for any horse. We had the vet check it. He dug out the frog of her foot hoping for relief of the infection from the abscess. It helped a little and more soaking seemed to as well. It helped for another week then the pain came back. We could see drainage but not enough. The infection was still there.

Saying prayer to heal her

Lady Jane was laying down more than she was up. Sweet John Micheal kneeled down and prayed for her. She would get better then seem to get worse again. The pus would ooze from her hoof and it would give her relief but it came out of different parts of her foot. We wondered if something was in her foot. She is so heavy a piece of metal or wood could be in there and not come out causing the constant reinfection. The radio-graphs did not give us an answer. The vets suspected something called 'Quittor'. It was rare but a possibility. Radio-graphs sent to UGA expert thought it was not 'Quittor' but it was worth a try to eliminate that problem.

Another week and still not substantial change so Dr Walker came out to dig out her foot again. After 10 minutes of hard work, he uncovered a hole where hit looked as though a nail or something similar punctured her foot. I think we finally are on the way to a back to normal Lady Jane. She is quite sore today and will be for a few days but we are continuing soaking and giving her antibiotics orally and in the hold in her hoof and keeping it wrapped and clean.

This is one of the kindest, sweetest horses ever to come to us.

Sandy and Sydney grooming Lady Jane

 She deserves to be cared for and all the vet and farrier bills are surely worth the price of saving her and making her comfortable. 

We are Rescue! 

Thank you for your continues support and compassion for animals. You are the Angels of SaveTheHorses.org

Faith In A Horse's Life

Faith getting some love from volunteer, Jeff

The Equine Veterinarian left at 2 am. The little filly was still down but she seemed a little bit stronger. She had been down since 6 PM the night before and road in the horse trailer lying down for the one and a half hour trip. 

Faith's body score is in the minus range. 

One year old and nearly starved to death

When the trailer pulled up at the SaveTheHorses rescue farm, we literally carried her to a make shift stall. The rescue farm is full, actually over full but this was a life and death situation so we found a way to squeeze her in. It was cold and rainy, animal control confiscated the horses and only had a field to keep them in, no shelter and no veterinarian available to euthanize this little filly. She barely had a 10% chance of survival. Lori Yonts, who runs Sunkissed Acres Rescue in Summerville GA got the call from animal control. Lori is 3 hours away so she called SaveTheHorses. She was willing to make the 6 hour round trip but we were closer and it was very very critical. Three volunteers from SaveTheHorses, Judy, Sam and Natalie, made the trip to Chatsworth and with the help of animal control officers, carried the nearly lifeless body onto the trailer. They also loaded up a buckskin mare who rode the standing up all the way. The buckskin mare had been down earlier in the day, she was critical as well. Judy took the buckskin mare to her farm, just around the corner from the rescue. She had to make room as well but the buckskin seemed more physically stable.


Cynthia Heaton, along with Josh, came out to help, as well. Cynthia runs Trinity Horse Rescue in Acworth. About the same time, vet arrived about midnight. She gave the little filly 2 bags of fluids. The filly's eyes were swollen and shut with dirt and debris. We washed them with saline several times and applied an antibiotic ointment. Though she didn't have the strength to pick up her head, she was happy to open her eyes a little. She would look at Cynthia every time she spoke. She would kick her legs violently like she wanted to get up. It was good to see the fight in her. It is the kind of hope we hold on to when in such a grave situation. We turned her over to the other side so she could be comfortable. In the morning, we gather several people and we were able to get her to her feet. We slowly walked her to help her get some circulation and strength. She went down two more time that day.  She went down on day 10. Our hearts sank, we wondered if she was loosing her battle. She got up on her own a short time later. Everyone cheered! It does our hearts good to know we are helping her survive another day. 

It has been two weeks now. Her very swollen legs are almost normal. He eyes are clear but all the fur around her eyes is sluffing off as well as skin and fur on other parts of her body. She has a long way to go but she is making progress. Blood work is nearly normal. 
Thank you to everyone who donated to help with her care, her vet bills, her hay and feet. We still have a long road ahead but it looks like we are on the road to recovery.

Meet The Knee High Gang Again

Meet the Knee High Gang!

Saucy just sitting around!

We did it last month and had so much fun,

 we are doing it again. 

Open House at SaveTheHorses Rescue Farm  

Sunday March 10th from 1-4 PM

Come out, bring the kids and the adults. We had kids of all ages last month and everyone just had to smile. 

Our Knee High Gang are miniature horses but they are very special because besides being Miniature horses they are dwarfs. They are Special Needs horses. They have different deformities which makes them more fragile them other horses but they think they are just like every horse and enjoy life. Most weigh about 100 pounds. 

You have to see them to believe it!

SaveTheHorses Rescue Farm

1768 Newt Green Road

Cumming GA 30028

770 886 5419

Horseinc@aol.com